Mr Schneider
by Bartholomew-Kazpian
Summary: When the Monkees are taken hostage in their apartment by their corrupt boss who they are trying to expose they find themselves in more trouble then they bargained for. Is this the end of the Monkees, or will they once again prove that nothing is ever as it seems?
1. Evidence

Disclaimer: I don't own The Monkees, although I wish I did, or rather I wish I could get a hold of some kind of time, space, and dimension teleportation device thingy. Then I would go to the universe where the show is real and the time period, that way I could meet them.

This is my first fanfic so please be kind. This takes place in early season 1, my Head canon for their ages is 22, 21, 19, 17. The explanation for this is on my profile page.

"Come on guys. And be quiet, we're supposed to be backstage remember?" Mike hissed at his fellow band mates as they all peered out around a corner, each face below the other going from Mike to Micky to Peter and finally all the way down to Davy.

"Right." They chorused.

"Shh!" Mike hushed them before continuing on to the office door. It was locked, something they hadn't thought of.

"What do we do now?" Micky asked.

"Um. I don't know. Didn't think we'd be stuck this soon." Mike confessed.

"One of us could climb through there." Peter said as he looked up above the door where a small window set.

"We can't fit through there." Mike said dismissing the idea. It was way too small.

"I bet I could." Davy said also looking up at it.

"Yeah but what about on the other side, that's a long way down for you." Micky said looking up and studying the size then back to Davy to see if the smaller boy really would fit, it'd be tight but maybe, just maybe.

"It's not all that far, I can do it." Davy said with confidence. "Just get me up there, we haven't got much time."

Mike crouched down and the others helped steady Davy as he climbed up onto his back sitting on his shoulders.

"Whoa!" Davy rose into the air as Mike stood becoming taller then them all in seconds as he reached up and braced himself on the ceiling. "It's very high up here isn't it?"

"Just hurry it up, you ain't exactly Tiny Tim ya know." Mike grunted as he brought him closer to the door being careful to move slow as Davy swayed before grabbing the edge of the window.

"You just hold still so I can." Davy told him pulling himself up until he was now kneeling on Mike shoulders as he started to crawl into the window. He disappeared quickly with a THUD a a softer clan, the others held their breath before the door clicked open, Davy standing on the other side rubbing his elbow. "See piece of cake."

Mike rolled his eyes at that but decided not to comment on the younger boy's reckless actions, they'd only be ignored anyway.

Once inside the Monkees spread out and began looking for something.

"It's gotta be here someplace, it's just gotta!" Micky said as he overturned everything on the desk whether it was paper, folders, or pencils.

"You'd think it'd be easy to spot a suitcase full of diamonds." Peter said turning over all the cups on a small bar in the corner.

"Hey fellas. Can one of you give me a boost? I think there's something up there." Davy said from in front of the closet. He was looking up and pointing to a shelf high above his head.

Mike walked over, reached up and pulled the suitcase down, setting it on the now messy desk.

"You think it's them?" Davy asked excitedly, only slightly annoyed at Mike's ability to reach high places.

"Feels heavy enough." Mike said as he slowly opened the case.

Bright jewels sparkled up at them, shimmering in the light as they stared, mouths hanging open at the sight.

"You know what we could buy with just a couple handfuls of those?" Micky asked as his mind raced with all the things he'd ever wanted.

"Yeah, four jail cells." Mike deadpanned. "We're just gonna take a little bit to show the police, that way they have ta believe us and we can bust these guys."

"I wasn't really gonna take some." Micky said. "It's just nice to dream."

"Well dream some other time, we gotta get back out there before they find out we left." Mike said as he reached in and took a small handful and stuffed them in his pocket before closing the lid. He walked back over to the closet and replaced the suitcase before turning back around. "Now let's split."

They quickly left, making it backstage just moments before their boss came by to check on them.

"So boys, you ready to go back out there, crowd's waiting?" Mr. Ridrik asked smiling.

"Yes Sir Mr. Ridrik Sir." Mike said. "We're ready as we can ever be, just been warming up the old voice box before you came."

"No we weren't we wer-"

"Well we were also going to the bathroom but didn't think we had to mention that part." Micky said for Peter as he quickly covered him mouth.

"Yeah that's a little too much information." Mr. Ridrik said sneering. "Now get out there before the customers start leaving."

"Right." Mike said ushering the others to the stage.

They each took their positions as the lights came back on over the stage momentarily blinding them. They quickly lost themselves in their music, even managing to forget for a moment that their new boss was as corrupt as they came. They had overheard a conversation the other night and after doing some digging had discovered that their boss and a group of men had recently stolen diamonds from a private collector. They had just needed some kind of proof and were hoping that the pieces now in Mike's front pocket would be enough.

Meanwhile as they sang their boss had called an emergency meeting in his office after finding his desk a compele mess.

"I want whoever did this found, now!" Ridrik demanded. It had to be one of his employees, no one else could have made it back here. "As soon as the act's over and the people go home, no body leaves."

"What about the band?" Serio asked. "They staying too?"

"Nah, saw 'em just before they went back on, they were still in the back room, let 'em leave." Ridrik said. The less witnesses the better and the boys were new and didn't know about the restaurant's other dealings. And Ridrik wanted to keep it that way, it was hard to find a good group on short notice when half the town knew your reputation.

"I'll handle it." Vince, Ridrik's second in charge said before heading out the door.

"Just make sure they don't suspect nothing." Ridrik told him before the door was able to close.

"Now as for the rest of yous, here's what we're gonna do."

Vince made his way to the side of the stage as he waited for the band of young men to finish. They weren't bad, for long haired weirdos he supposed, and they did seem to draw a lot of the younger crowd in, ones that didn't yet know of the owners tainted reputation. That was good for business, fresh customers meant fresh targets, which meant more money. He could see why the boss didn't want to chance them finding out what was really going on.

Twenty minutes later and the band was done, they had finished their whole set list and had even done two more songs for a small encore. The high of the spotlight brought smiles to their faces as they packed up their instruments and left the stage.

"Hey boss said he wants you guys out early tonight, we gotta meeting to hold." Vince said stopping them before they made their way backstage.

"But today's the day we help clean up." Peter said.

"Not tonight. Tonight the boss wants you out." Vince said raises his voice a little.

"Okay, we get it, we're goin'." Mike said. "Let's go on home guys, shouldn't be arguing about less work."

"Yeah I'm actually pretty tired myself." Davy said between a yawn.

They left the restaurant and went straight to the pad, it was too late to go to the police station so they decided it could wait until morning.

"I'm going to bed." Davy said as he went up the stairs to one of the two bedrooms. There were four beds in each room and they all just tended to sleep in whichever room they happened to feel like that particular night.

"I'm beat too." Mike said heading for the downstairs room.

Peter and Micky stayed up a little while watching tv, they didn't find much on to watch so they soon found themselves talking.

"Do you think those men will go to jail for a long time when we turn in the diamonds?" Peter asked as he glanced at Micky from the sci-fi flick they were both only barely watching.

"I don't know Pete. Depends on if they can get anything to stick I guess." Micky said turning to his friend as he gave up trying to watch the movie, he'd seen it a dozen times already.

"Oh." Peter said looking back at the tv for a few seconds before as turning so he was now facing Micky, his complete attention on the other boy. "Do you want to fly a kite tomorrow, it's supposed to be nice and windy?"

Micky not fazed by the sudden change in conversation just shrugged his shoulders. "Waves are gonna be up too, was gonna get in some surfin', maybe flirt with some girls and try to get a date."

Peter's shoulders fell, just slightly, but it was enough for Micky to see, he quickly adding. "But you know I'm gonna have to dry off after surfing somehow, what better way then by chasing a kite."

The look he got back was worth changing his plans around, he would do anything if it put a smile on Peter's face, or any of his friends for that matter. They drifted into a comfortable silence as a new movie came on, this one seemed to have Micky a little more interested.

It wasn't long though before Peter too said he was tired, going into the same room as Mike.

That left Micky by himself as he aimlessly flipped through the channels. He felt that he should be tired but for some reason he wasn't and was hoping one of these increasingly boring programs would do the trick.


	2. Rude Awakenings

Micky was just beginning to doze off right on the couch when a rattling noise came from the front door. Cobwebs of sleep clung to his mind as he watched the now unlocked door slowly swing open. _This had to be a dream, there was no way six large men dressed all in black had just broken into the pad!_ Micky shook his head as much as he dared trying to make it go away but also not wanting them to know they were being watched in case they turned out to be real. _They were real,_ he cringed as they saw him and sleep was thrown far from his mind as guns were drawn and shoved in his face.

"Okay, where's your friends? And what were you doing in my office?" A familiar voice asked him from the darkness.

Micky paled suddenly realizing what this was all about.

Mike's eyes shot open and he let out a muffled cry of alarm as a hand was pressed against his mouth. There was a man on either side of his bed looking down at him with menacing glares. If he had been able to he would have seen a similar situation happening with Peter in the bed across from him.

He was roughly dragged up and pushed towards the door, Peter's captors mimicking the actions until they were all in the living room where they blinked in the bright lights before being able to see Micky sitting on the couch, two more men on either side of him.

Mike tried to convey a look of calm to both of his terrified friends but he didn't think he managed it in his own fright. It was then that he realized Davy was missing and he had to stop himself from looking up towards the other bedroom. Maybe they could just tell them he wasn't here, maybe they'd believe them and they wouldn't even think of checking upstairs.

Just as he was thinking that one of the men stepped forward addressing them. "Look, just like I told your friend here, we know you were in the office tonight and we know you found something, we just want them back."

 _Ridrik. That explained a lot of things._ Mike silently cursed to himself. Somehow they had gotten caught, he just couldn't figure out how.

"We found something too, didn't we boys?" Ridrik asked as he finally removed his mask, his men doing the same before he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled something shinny out before tossing it on the table where it made a small _ting._

"So where is the little one?" The boss asked as the Monkees looked down at the metal tambourine piece that must have fallen out when Davy had climbed through the window and landed on the other side.

"He's not here." Micky said. "I already told you that."

"You also told me they weren't here either." Ridrik said not looking convinced.

Mike groaned at that, there went his only plan, he fought against his panic trying to come up with something else but not having any luck.

"Micky's telling the truth, Davy left, he went upstairs, packed a bag and left." Peter said trying to get them to believe them.

"So he's upstairs." Ridrik said pointing to two of the men and up the stairs. "Thank you."

"No! I didn't- He's not- He's not here!" Peter cried out as the men headed for the stairs.

"We'll give you your stuff just leave us alone." Mike said.

"Not good enough, nobody steals from me and gets away with it." Ridrik said fuming.

A loud yell was heard from behind the closed door followed by scuffling sounds before the door was flung open. Both men calmly walked back down the stairs, one of them with a struggling Davy slung over his shoulder.

"Put me down! Who are you!? What's going on!? Let me g- _Ooff!_ " Davy landed hard on the floor as he was thrown down in front of the couch where his friends were sitting.

"Davy!" They shouted reaching down and helping the younger boy up where he sat on the couch beside them, Mike on his left and Micky and Peter to his right.

"Mike, what's happening?" Davy asked clutching the older boy's arm.

"It's Ridrik."

Davy paled even more at that as he finally got a good look at all the men surrounding them, he gulped looked at Mike and then back towards the intruders. "L-look can't we just tal-"

"Shut up!" Ridrik shouted. And as they all jumped and looked nervously at each other he continued. "Now that we're all here, this is what we're gonna to do. You're going to give me back any diamonds you stole and then you're gonna tell me who you work for."

"Now wait a minute, we don't work for no one, we jus-" Mike started looking confused.

"Don't give me that bull kid." Ridrik said gesturing to his men as four of them took places behind each of the Monkees. "I'm only gonna ask this nicely one more time. Where are my diamonds and who do you work for?"

"We don't work for anyon-" Micky tried telling them.

 _SMACK!_

Peter held his face in shock as a red mark slowly grew where the man behind had just struck him, a small trickle of blood ran from his bottom lip.

"Hey now, we ain't lying! We took some diamonds but we ain't working for no one!" Mike said getting angry.

"You expect me to believe you just happened to show up two days before our biggest heist yet, the one that's gonna get us out of the country?" Ridrik couldn't believe their nerve, of course they were working for somebody, the only question was who. If it was a rival they might be able to flip them to their side and have some inside men against _their_ boss. If they were working for the cops, well then tonight wasn't going to be much fun for them, he hated cops and he didn't like snitches any better.

"But we-" Davy started to say only to stop as they all cringed in fear as guns were leveled at them.

"Diamonds." Ridrik demanded.

"They're in the bedroom." Mike said finally giving in, busting these guys wasn't worth their lives.

"Show him." Ridrik nodded to the goon standing behind Mike, who grabbing the Texan arm and pulled him to his feet.

"Mike!" Davy said trying to make a grab for his friend as he was dragged towards the bedroom. He was pushed back for his effort and would've tumbled straight off the backless couch if Micky hadn't reached out and caught him in time.

"Cool it Tiny, maybe if we give them what they want they'll go away." Mike told the frightened younger boy not sure who he was trying to convince.

Micky held on tighter to Davy trying to fill Mike's spot until he got back but he was scared too and they were big shoes to fill. He tried to put on a brave front for his younger friend but could feel it cracking as his met his petrified stare that surly matched the carefully masked one he fought to keep hidden.

"This it?" Ridrik asked when Mike and the man came back out and the diamonds were handed over.

Mike nodded unable to get his voice to work properly this close to the corrupt man.

"All them stones and you only take this? Why?" Ridrik asked. Anyone else presented with the chance would have taken a lot more.

"Only needed a little bit." Mike said softly.

"Boss just wanted a sample huh?" Ridrik asked in a knowing tone.

"No." Mike said standing firm in his conviction.

"Then what were you gonna do with 'em. You got a fence?"

 _"A what?_ " Mike asked. What did a fence have to do-

"You got someone to unload these, someone to sell 'em for you?" Ridrik asked clarifying, either these boys were good or this was their first dealings with jewellery theft.

"We weren't gonna sell them." Peter spoke up, he didn't like that Mike was still so close to the boss and wished he was back over with them.

"So what, you boys just wanted something shinny maybe a nice present for a girlfriend, is that it?" Ridrik asked. "You expect me to believe that. Now who do you work for, why'd you steal the diamonds?"

"We were gonna turn them in!" Peter shouted.

They watched in horror as the boss nodded to two of the men, who came up to Mike grabbing his arms and holding him between them.

"So you _are_ working for the cops." Ridrik said, his voice taking on an even darker edge then before.


	3. Lessons

AN: Sorry I guess I should have put something on here about there being some themes in this chapter that some people might have trouble reading. So please be advised that this does contain torture.

Mike paled, that was probably the last thing he'd wanted to hear, he thought to himself as the arms holding him got tighter while he struggled to free himself.

"No, we heard you guys talking the other day and we decided to see if we could get some evidence before going to the police." Mike no longer saw the point in trying to deny anything.

"You don't think I know when I'm being played? Well I ain't stupid kid, I know a mole when I see one, and I see four." Ridrik said as he punched Mike in the stomach.

The men holding Mike's arms had to support his weight as he doubled over. At a nod from their boss they give him a push towards his friends, his arms shot out to steady himself as he fell into them, catching him moments before he would've crashed to the floor.

"Mike!" They shouted as they helped him up.

"What are we gonna do now?" Micky asked eyeing the guns that were still leveled at them as the men thought of what to do with them.

"I don't know Mick, it ain't lookin' too good." Mike told the younger boy as he rubbed his stomach trying to alleviate some of the pain, wishing he could offer more comfort but not wanting to lie either.

"Okay." Mr. Ridrik said cutting them off as he brought their attention back to him. "Here's what's gonna happen. You're either gonna start talkin' or I'm gonna have ta start getting mad.

"You're not mad yet?" Micky asked before he could stop himself.

Another nod from the boss had the man behind Micky pulling his head backwards until it was at a very painfull looking angle before he hit him with the side of his gun. "No talking until you're told to." The man roughly let go of Micky's hair causing the boy to lurch forward, only to be caught by Peter.

"You didn't have to-"

Peter's cheek got even redder as he was stuck for a second time. By now the Monkees were too scared to protest and just cringed at the sound and offered what silent comfort they could as tears starting falling from the older boy's eyes while Micky held his head, a string of baring audible curses leaving his lips.

"Now." Mr. Ridrik said gesturing to one of the men behind them. "We know of at least one of you that was actually in the room, so why don't we start with him."

Before any of them could stop it Davy was plucked up from the backless couch by the man behind him with a loud. " _Ooh!_ "

The man struggled with keeping hold of the much smaller man as he tried to wiggle free, in the end he resorted to wrapping his arms around him, lifting him completely off the ground as he carried him over to his boss. He set him down in front of him, keeping his hands on his shoulders to make sure he couldn't go anywhere.

"So you broke into my office?" Ridrik looked down at the shaking boy. He was glancing back at his friends as if they would be able to help him, that made Ridrik smile at the false hope. "Answer me!" He hit him across the face sending the short boy to the ground despite the hands that held him.

"Y-y-yes!" Davy finally got out as he was yanked back up by his hair.

"How?" The door hadn't been tampered with and he couldn't figure out other way in or out of the room. He wanted to know so he could make sure it never happened again.

"T-the window." Davy said as his hair was pulled on again, the man holding it giving another tug when he didn't answer right away. The man had hold of him so tight he had to stand on his tiptoes to help keep the pressure off.

"That window was too small for anyone to get through." He had made sure of that when it'd been put in, he'd been assured no one could ever possibly fit through there.

"Well I did it!" Davy said with a bit of fire in his eyes, he didn't like being called a liar.

"So you did." Ridrik studied the small young man before him determining that, yes if he'd squeezed a bit, he could have definitely gotten in. That would be one of the first things he would fix when he was done here. "The next question is how. You couldn't have possibly gotten up there all by yourself. So who helped you?"

When Davy didn't say anything Ridrik hit him again, this time the man holding him didn't let him fall as he tighten his grip on his arms. Ridrik asked the question again but Davy still wouldn't name which one of his friends had helped him. This made the men angry as the one holding him twisted his left arm behind his back causing him to cry out.

"Tell me who helped you!" Ridrik screamed into his face.

Davy stayed quite only letting out small cries of pain when Ridrik lost his composure and started punching him as the goon behind him continued to hold him up.

The other three Monkees looked on in horror as the smaller boy's body was plummeted by the large fists of their former boss. Hands were holding them back preventing them from rushing to his aid. It didn't last long but when it was over Davy just hung there until the hands holding him up released him. He fell straight to the ground not even attempting to slow his decent, where he lay there, not moving.

"Anyone else refuses to answer my questions gets the same treatment." Ridrik said now completely calm again as he nodded to the man again. This time he picked Davy up the the back of the shirt and flung him across the room.

As Davy sailed through the air the others quickly made room to catch him, just barely managing it as he landed half on their laps and half on the couch.

"Davy!" They chorused as they turned him over.

"W-What?" Davy asked, his eyes slowly slid open and he found himself with his head on Peter's lap, Micky beside him and Mike near his legs, all three had concerned looks on their faces and it took a minute for him to remember why. Then he wished he didn't as he held up a hand to his head. "Please stop the spinning, it's making me dizzy."

"You're not spinning." Micky told him.

"Well tell that to me head then." Davy moaned as the world continued to twirl around him.

"Enough games!" Ridrik was getting tried of how long this was taking. He stalked over to them, grabbing a started Mike by the arm and dragged him away from the others before they could stop him.

The leader brought Mike to the front of the couch were he had him kneel on the ground facing his friends. Mike did so, looking into each of their eyes in turn.

Peter's petrified eyes met his gaze at the sight of another of his friends in danger. He just wanted this all to be over, he didn't understand why them men were doing this to them. All they had done was try to do the right thing, why were they being punished for that? Evil deeds had always confused him, he didn't understand what made people want to hurt someone. Mike's calm eyes helped him relaxed a little and suddenly Peter had hope that they would get out of this, just like all the other times. They were the Monkees after all, strange things were always happening to them.

Davy, now sitting up between Micky and Peter having sprung up with the others in an attempt to grab Mike, and was still trying to get his head to stop spinning as the pressure of the two shoulders on either side of him helped keep him upright. He managed to catch Mike's eyes though and the older boy could see that he wasn't doing too good. Much of Davy's face was already turning a dark purple color and Mike was sure more bruises would be found under his clothes. Mike offered a small smile encouragement and was rewarded with one in return, as long as they kept their spirits up and never gave in they could fight this.

Wrapping his arm around Davy and Peter, Micky drew them closer to him, feeling the smaller boy beside him tremble in fear or pain he wasn't sure. He was determined to keep them safe and was prepared to offer himself as the next target to do so. Mike shook his head at that seeing where the already injured boy's thinking was taking him. He couldn't let him do that, couldn't let anything happen to any of them.

"Now one of you had better answer this question or you're gonna go from a quartet to a trio in about five seconds." With that Ridrik held up his gun, putting the barrel right up against the back of Mike's head, the Texan eyes widening in fear as he realized the seriousness of his predicament.

"It was me!" He cried trying to brace himself for the bullet he could almost feel already boring into his skull. "I gave Davy a boost up to the window!"

"I figured as much." Ridrik said lowering the gun much to the Monkees relief. "I just can't stand it when people don't answer me, kind of a pet peeve you could say."

Mike looked at Davy at that, knowing the younger boy must wish they'd known that before he'd tried to play mute. Davy looked back at him, his hand twitched as if he wanted to reach for him but was too afraid to move. The eye contact broke as Mike was shoved forward and told to sit back down. He did so gladly, Micky moved over so that he was now on Davy's other side next to Peter, leaving the two younger boys once again sandwiched between the older ones as Mike took the now empty spot beside Davy. The younger boy latched back onto their leader as he'd done when he'd first been brought down, Micky and Peter clutching each other next to them.

"Well now that we've established how you did it, we're still left with the why." Ridrik said. "And I hope for you sake, it doesn't take as long to get to the truth this time."

"But we've told you all we kno-"

"Oh a volunteer, how nice." Ridrik sneered. "Looks like we'll be starting things off with you."

Peter let out a cry of alarm as he was dragged off the back of the couch, Micky had tried to hold onto him but one of the other men pried his hands away. A chair from the kitchen was gotten and placed in front of the couch facing the remaining Monkees. Peter was forced into it and his hands and feet were quickly tied to the arms and legs.


	4. The Chair

AN: Hey, I know I've been getting some views but I'm not really sure if people are actually liking this or not. This is my first fanfic and I'm pretty nervous about how my writing is.

This is a torture chapter so if you don't like that kinda thing I'd skip it.

PMMD-PMMD-PMMD-PMMD-PMMD-PMMD-PMMD-PMMD-PMMD-PMMD-PMMD-PMMD-PMMD-PMMD-PMMD

"There are so many ways to get someone to talk, some painful others not so much, the ones without pain though, well those tend to take a little longer and I'm already growing tired of this." Ridrik as he approached the terrified blond boy.

"Please just let him go! We don't know anything and we ain't workin' for no one!" Mike shouted not knowing what they had planned but not liking the sudden malicious look that had crept up on Ridrik's face.

"You'll get you chance in just a little while!" Ridrik shouted back to him annoyed that they couldn't follow simple instructions such as keeping silent. "So good to see more volunteers though, maybe this won't take as long as I thought."

The prospect of being next shut Mike up right away as he watched on in resigned silence. _At least it'll be me,_ he thought, _and not Micky or Davy._ That thought kept him from panicking too much, as long as he could continue to protect them even if it was just a little he felt they might still have a chance.

One of the men took out a bundle of cloth and when it was opened, laid out before them so they had an especially good view of the contents, they paled. Inside were small knives, pliers, a little hammer, things that looked like long toothpicks, wires, there was even a syringe, needles, and a small vial of something they really hoped they wouldn't have to worry about.

"Now let's start off with a simple question, shall we. How about, do you work for someone from the street or is it the cops?" Ridrik asked as he stepped up to the chair.

"I ah, I-" Peter turned his head to his friends giving them a helpless look before it was violently pulled back around as the boss made him face him once more.

"They can't help you right now, so answer the question!" Ridrik was really getting sick of these kids but he had to know who was onto him and shut them down before they shut him down.

"Can you repeat the question?" Peter asked sounding so innocent that none save his fellow bandmates were able to pick up on the almost mischievous gleam in his eye as if he knew just how much it would annoy the man, and as a result the men just thought he was an idiot.

And also as a result the little hammer was picked up and Peter only had a second to brace himself before it came down full force on his right hand. His scream echoed off the wall for a full minute as his body went rigid breathing hard before slumping in the chair from pain, shock, and the inevitability of what was to come. His hair was grabbed and his head jerked upwards til he was peering into the leader intense eyes.

"Who do you work for?"

"Well that depends on if you've fired us or not yet, if you have then we don't work for anybody at the moment." Peter said eyes still not having lost that gleam but now ringed with pain and a deep sadness that made it hard for the others to watch but they did anyway as a show of support.

The hammer was brought down again, in a different place this time. Then the man stepped back as if to admire his work as Peter sat there once more pants as he fought through the pain.

He grabbed his face again and looked straight at him putting emphasis on each word as he spook. "Who - are - you - working - for?"

"Are you trying to offer us a job again, I'm sorry, I don't think we'd be interested." Peter could barely talk and his words were starting to slur but he still managed to put on an apologetic smile, wincing a little when it pulled at his split lip.

"Ahh! You're too stupid to even know what I'm asking!" The boss shouted now totally fed up with the dummy sitting in the chair. He sneered, it'd probably be easier getting a confession out of the actual dummy he could see sitting in the corner by the door.

It was a strange looking dummy, it was wearing a suit and glasses, looking just like a little business man. Ridrik had been here once before and had been surprised when the doll had spoken after one of the boys had pulled a cord he hadn't seen at first. The dummy had given a piece of out of place advice that the boys had listened to intently as if he were a parent teaching them a valuable lesson. He briefly wondered if that's what the young men had him around for, just to have some kind of resemblance of a father type figure, even one that was made of wood. Ridrik cracked a smile as he gave another glance into the dummy's dull eyes at the thought of torturing it's 'children' right in front of it.

His smile slipped.

Something about the doll seemed- off. It's eyes didn't look as dull as before and it was giving him the creeps. Beginning to make his skin crawl, he had to look away.

"Give me another one." He demanded pushing the thoughts to the back of his mind, this must be stressing him out more then he thought. "Work him over a bit, see if he starts to remember a little better." He told the men that untied Peter as two others dragged a struggling Micky to take his place.

"Hey you said it was my turn next!" Mike shouted trying to get them to let the younger boy go and take him instead.

"Don't tell me what I said. I said you'd get your turn, I never said what order!" Ridrik shouted back to him as one of the men delivered a blow to the side of Mike's head for his outburst.

Davy cried out at that and helped steady Mike as he fell against him. The older boy could feel the younger one's small body trembling in fear against his own and determination to get them out of this surged through him, filling him with renewed energy and will power. He looked down at Davy trying to convey this to him, it took a few seconds but slowly Davy nodded, he believed him, he believed that Mike would get them out of this. Mike sighed glad he could still help, even if it was only in the smallest ways possible.

They could now hear flesh hitting flesh off to the side of them as Micky was tied down into the chair, Peter's cries as he was struck again and again adding background noise as the boss repeated the question to the drummer.

"We don't work fo-"

Blood ran down Micky's faces, his nose throbbing as the man in front of him lowered his arm.

"Let's try that again." He nodded to one of his men who pulled out a small box.

"We don't work for-"

Again Micky's head jerked to the side as he was struck across the face, this time by a blow to the side of the head that left his mind reeling so much he barely noticed the weird wires being placed on his chest after his shirt was ripped open.

"Who do you work for!?"

"We don't-"

"Ahhhhhaaaa!" Micky screamed as his body was flooded with electricity, the current running like fire through his veins.

"Tell me!"

"We don't-"

Another flip of the switch on the small box brought another round of screams from Micky. One thought that came to all of them about this time was how, for once, they wished Mr. Babbitt was home, surly he would've heard them and gotten help. But they knew he had gone on vacation this week to visit his daughter who lived out of state, he wouldn't be back for a couple more days at least. And none of their other neighbors were close enough, they might as well be on the moon as far as someone hearing them went.

A third and forth time soon followed, the screams taking on a savage sound that made their skin prickle. It was a sound that they knew would forever haunt their dreams.

The boss tried asking again but Micky had all but passed out by now and wasn't able to answer him anyway so he ordered another switch. Also by now the two goons that had taken Peter came back over dragging the unconscious boy between them. They draped him over the couch before going back and standing behind it waiting for their next instructions.

"No!" Mike protested when Davy was next ripped from his arms, the younger boy once again getting hauled up and carried over to the leader. "You already beat him up, leave him alone!"

"That was for not answering my question. Hopefully he's learned his lesson." Ridrik said as his men quickly strapped the short boy down.

Ridrik looked down at all the tools set before him trying to decide which the best one to use would be. His hand trailed the choices until his finger caught on something. He picked it up making sure neither boy saw before starting to pace around the chair.

"So Davy." Ridrik sneered at the young man's name then smiled at him. "Have you learned your lesson, are you gonna be a good boy and answer my questions now?" His voice got darker as he took the thin rope he'd grabbed from the cloth and wrapped in around the startled boy's throat squeezing just enough to block his airway making him gasp. Mike shouted and raged against two of the men that were now holding him back but the leader ignored him, he slowly took the pressure away and Davy was finally able to breath again.

"Please! We really don't work for anyon-"

Davy was cut off as the rope was once again made taunt, Ridrik left it there for almost a full minute before releasing the pressure.

"You will tell the truth!"

"But we already told you the tru-" Davy managed to gasp out with some difficulty.

"Liar!" Ridrik roared as he tighten the rope again, this time the pressure didn't stop and he was now slumping forwards against it while it was pulled even tighter still.

"Stop, stop it, you're killing him!" Mike yelled as he watched Davy's face go from bright red to purple then blue and was now taking on a chalky white color.

By this time Micky had come to a little and he sat against Mike as he tried to focus enough on the scene in front of him to figure out what was happening. When he did he shut his eyes again determined to block out the sight.

"Fine, I'll tell you!" Mike suddenly shouted.

"Tell me what?" Ridrik wanted him to say it, to admit that they'd been lying to them but let the rope go slack as an incentive.

"I'll tell you who we work for. But you have to let Davy go first." Mike hoped his bluff would work, he didn't know what he was going to tell the man but it'd been the only thing he could think of.

The rope was finally removed, an angry red line in it's place as Davy was untied and once again tossed over to them. Mike, being the only one fully awake, almost dropped him but managed to hold on as he lowered him down til he was laying half way on his lap. He reached out and felt for a pulse, it was there but it was weak and Mike couldn't feel any air leave his lips. He looked up straight into Micky's face, who was still out of it but was slowly coming around, as he too looked down at Davy in shock. Mike didn't waste anymore time as he gently laid the younger boy down so he was flat on his back and tilting his head back he breathed into his mouth, forcing breath after breath passed the pale lips before he was rewarded with a spasm of coughs.

He didn't get a chance to see if his friend was in deed alright though before he was roughly grabbed from behind and dragged towards the waiting chair where he was hastily strapped down.

"See, I told you you'd get you turn." Ridrik said as he watched Mike struggle against his restraints.

"Should've just started with me." Mike said.

"And where would the fun of that have been, I like torturing people." Ridrik admitted to him. "It gives me a sense of- jubilation, I just don't like having to ask the same question more then once."

"Well I'll say, you tend to get a little cranky about some other stuff too." Mike said boldly.

Ridrik's eyes narrowed at the boy before he continued. "I'm only going to ask one more tim-"

"You said that before, how many times have you asked that now anyway?" Mike interrupted in a lazy drawl.

Micky watched the exchange with growing concern, he knew what Mike was doing and he didn't like it. He wished he could stop him before he went too far but he had the others to think about too. Peter was still unconscious and didn't look like he'd be waking up anytime soon if the large goose egg on his forehead was any indication. Davy on the other hand had woken up but his eyes kept drooping shut and he had to give him a shake every now and then as he leaned heavily against him, Micky's arm really the only thing keeping him up and from slipping back into darkness. His breathing was very labored and it seemed to take everything he had just to keep it going.

Ridrik fumed, his face redder then ever at Mike's insolence. He backhanded him hard across the face, storming over to the cloth as the boy's head sprang backwards before finally, he sat there in a stunned silence. Ridrik picked up one of the various tools and came back to him, banishing the weapon for them all to see.

The shinny glint of the blade sliced through the air before coming down and embedding in his right leg.

Mike let out a scream as the knife was ripped from him, blood spurting out of the deep hole.

"You gonna tell me what I wanna know?" Ridrik asked as he started running the knife along the trembling boy's arms, creating thin trails of blood in it's wake as the tip dug in and split the flesh.

"Well I'm sure there's a lot of things you wanna know." Mike said grinding his teeth against the pain, determined to keep the man's focus and anger centered on him. "Care to be a little more specific?"

"Ahhh!" Ridrik yelled in frustration as he plunged the knife into Mike's chest.

"No!" Micky and Davy cried in union.

"This is what happens when you don't cooperate." Ridrik said standing in front of the now only conscious boys as Mike rapidly lost the fight to stay awake, his eyes falling shut as his body went limp in the chair. "If you tell me who you work for I'll see to it that he gets help before he bleeds out."

When neither boy said anything Ridrik frowned, surly they wouldn't stick to their story if it meant losing one of them. He drew his gun, now convinced that the boys must have been telling the truth all along, and that meant they had become expendable. He wasn't one to leave witnesses.


	5. The Beach

AN: Hey sorry it took so long to get this chapter up, I had it written but then I changed some stuff and had to rewrite it. Plus I've been working on several other stories, all Monkees by the way, so that kind got me sidetracked a little. Also, I do accept constructive criticism, as long as it's constructive of course. I'd love to hear how this could be improved. Thank you to everyone that's read and/or reviewed, it has helped push me to write more.

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Davy stared in horror at the knife still sticking out of Mike's chest. He was fully awake now, the shock of it filling his veins with adrenaline as anger surged through him. Before he could stop or tell himself it was a bad idea he had already launched forward barreling into Ridrik's stomach and knocking them both to the ground.

With the air knocked out of him and it having been so hard to breath to begin with Davy was no match for the much larger man. After quickly subduing him Ridrik had his men hold him down while he addressed Micky.

"You're friend here doesn't seem to know when to stop. Perhaps I should give him a little something to calm him down." He went over to the cloth and took out the syringe, filled it with the liquid from the little glass vial and walked back over to where Davy was still struggling with his captors, breathing hard as he tried sucking more air into his aching lungs, it didn't seem to be working though as he lay there gasping.

"Stop! Please, don't!" Micky cried as the man advanced on his friend. "We told you everything we know, just let us go already! Leave us alone!"

"Oh I know. You've been telling the truth the whole time, it's a pity though that that knowledge doesn't change anything."

"If you know we're telling the truth then why-"

"Because I don't leave witnesses!" Ridrik shouted to Micky as he cut off the boy's questioning. He grabbed Davy's arm, plunging the needle and liquid into his veins.

Davy struggled even more after that but a few seconds later his movements got sluggish and weak. Before long he stopped moving altogether, now laying there completely still as the men that had been holding him stepping aside.

"Davy!" Micky screamed still unsure what had been in that vial but in fear more then ever now that another one of his friends had been rendered unconscious and completely helpless to stop anything else the men had in store for them. He looked around the room at his other friends, he was now the only one awake, the only one that was still able to do something to get them out of this. He just had to think of something. This was a time where his normally quick thinking would come in handy but try as he might he couldn't get his brain to wrap enough around what was happening in order for it to come up with something.

"Relax, it was just a sedative, it'll last a while though, plenty of time."

"If you're just gonna kill us why bother with the sedative?" Micky was trying to keep him talking, stall for as much time as he could til an idea came to him.

"Didn't want to risk him doing something on the drive." Ridrik nodding yet again, he had his thugs trained and their torture methods down to a science, there was never any need for much talking. "Plus I don't like little punks that think they can get away with attacking me."

"Drive? Where are you takin-"

Another blow to his head had Micky's mind reeling so much he was barely able to understand Ridrik's next words.

"Pack 'em up boys." Ridrik looked around the room, observing his work. Something caught his eye, there by the tv was the dummy. Hadn't he been by the door before? The doll was now propped up by something, he couldn't see what, somewhere behind the appliance. It still had that somehow not quite so dull look in it's eyes causing Ridrik to shiver as he met it's gaze. Anger swelled within him, how dare this doll make him look weak, especially in front of his men. "Take the doll too."

"The doll?" One of them asked, it was the first time one of them had spoken, it was against his rules for them to speak and such a act would not go unpunished, but for now they had work to do.

"Yes."Ridrik pointed to the dummy, which he swore was just a little closer then it had been the last time he'd looked. "Grab that and carry it to the van, then start the engine."

"Go!"

His men finally obeyed him, apparently they had more training to do to show them who was boss. He turned to the last Monkee standing, or sitting as was the drummer's case at the moment. Grinning he walked behind him and grabbed him by his hair, wringing his head backwards until he cried out. "Stand up."

Ridrik gave his head a push never letting go of his hair as he half pulled him to his feet when Micky's legs didn't seem to want to work properly. With his gun now out and in his opposite hand he directed the boy towards the front door.

"Please where are you taking us, can't you just leave us alone? We don't know anything!" Micky struggled to get free but the gun currently against his temple was preventing him from trying too hard, if he got shot then his friends really didn't have a chance.

"Well now you see, that's part of the problem, it means you're just not worth keeping around, you're expendable." Ridrik gave him another shove to get him going faster as the rest of his men gathered the others. Micky felt the last of his hope slip away as fresh tears sprang from his eyes, he could see no way out of their predicament. This allowed Ridrik to guide him out better as he stopped struggling. What was the use?

Ridrik laughed at the boy as he hung his head in defeat, there was almost nothing sweeter then watching hope leave someone's eyes, to see that final glimmer that things might be alright just- disappear, it gave him a thrill. The only thing that topped it was seeing that last spark of light leave their eyes, the very last second between life and death where the person knows it and knows there's nothing that can stop it, he wished he could see that at least once a day, and even then it wouldn't be enough. That's why he was keeping this one wake, he wanted to see those flickers, needed to see them. He had wanted to see it in all of them but the others wouldn't be waking anytime soon so he would have to settle for only one.

They loaded them all in the van and, glad for the moonless night, took off, speeding down the street. They didn't stop until they got to a section of the beach that was far away from any houses or anything else that might interrupt them.

"Will you shut up!" Ridrik shouted at wailing drummer as he begged for the life of his friends. He couldn't stand it anymore, these kids were more of a headache then they were worth and he just wanted to get this over with.

Micky's blubbering was cut short as two of the men grabbed his arms, holding him still as the other four men leveled their guns at him and each of his friends. He almost closed his eyes but at the last second decided to keep them open, if this was it he would go down facing it like a man, _a monkeeman_ , he thought to himself as he let a small smile come to the corner of his mouth at the ludicrous timing of the thought. He cast a final glance at his friends wishing he could have done more to save them, wishing that somehow they would still make it out of this, he just couldn't figure out how it would be possible. Would anyone ever really know what happened to them? Or would it look like they just disappeared one day?

A flash out of the corner of his eye drew his gaze away from his friends, and though he wasn't able to catch what it was he did see something else that deeply troubled him. Or rather it was what he didn't see, Mr. Schneider was no longer laying in the sand where he'd been tossed by the man that carried him down. He couldn't figure out where he went, it's not like one of the men could have taken him, not with all six occupied on either holding him down or banishing a weapon at them. So that left the question, where had Mr. Schneider gone?

He shook his head, this must be too much for him to handle, his mind was cracking. He refocused his attention on the men in front of him as they stepped forward guns ready.

Less then a second later he got his answer however as the same flash sped between him, his friends and the line of guns aimed at them. The guns were all knocked out of their owner's hands as the men backed away in fear. Hands holding Micky loosened enough for him to wiggle free as he too backed up.

Mr. Schneider stood still for a second longer before moving again.

Micky had stopped backing away having been struck stock still due to the dummy's close proximity to him. He looked at Micky for a few seconds, and in those few seconds Micky relaxed as he gave a small nod to the now animated doll.

Mr. Schneider was suddenly in front of the men again, having moved so fast none had been able to track it. All six of them backed up farther, the other men that had been holding Micky having joined them. As Mr. Schneider advanced on them they got very nervous, none of them had ever heard of such a thing and didn't know what to do about it.

That was until Ridrik drew his spare gun and this time didn't hesitate before opening fire. The others followed his lead and soon only the deafening sound of bullets hitting wood could be heard as Micky watched on in terror.

As confused as he was about how or why Mr. Schneider had come to life he knew that right now the doll was the only shot they had of getting out of this, and he was sure he wouldn't last very long against all those bullets. He looked down at his friends as they lay beside him. Davy looked like he was sleeping, or he would if not for all the bruises he'd gotten throughout the night, plus the red line that had turned an angry shade. When Micky checked to make sure he was still breathing he was both happy and scared at the faint breath that barely reached his palm. His left arm looked kind of funny and Micky wouldn't be surprised if it was broken, the same went for his right ankle, which was definitely not going the right way. He winced just looking at him before he shifted his gaze to Peter.

The bass player's hair was now matted with blood from a nasty looking gash on the side of his face that was still trickling a good deal. There were also bruises all over his face, his left eye completely swollen shut. Traveling down his body Micky saw more bruising creeping up beneath his clothes and he cringed when he got to his hand, which looked more like a mass of flesh then a hand at the moment. Micky couldn't remember how many bones there were in a human hand but he was pretty sure Peter had broken all of them. His right knee was all bloody and it spilled down his leg, he let out a moan of pain when Micky touched it so he quickly backed away, not wanting to cause his friend more harm then good with his lack of knowledge. He wished Mike was awake, the older boy always seemed to know what to do, even when he didn't think so.

He looked towards Mike then, who was laying in the sand like the rest of them, small knife still sticking out of his chest. He wasn't even sure if the older boy was still alive, he steeled himself before reaching down to check for a pulse. He felt like he could almost burst into song and dance right on the spot with how happy the weak not quite steady little pulses made him. But he didn't, instead he cast a nervous glance back to the doll hoping he would hold up just a little while longer.

So far the bullets didn't seem to have very much effect and by now the men were hardly even firing, choosing instead to inch their way closer to the van but Mr. Schneider seemed to be moving to cut them off as he continued to advance on them.

Ridrik roared in rage, firing once more at the dummy only for his bullets to be absorbed like water on a sponge. He glazed at it as his anger welled inside him. Suddenly he turned his gun, managing to catch the doll off guard as his next bullet plunged into Micky.

Mr. Schneider moved in fast, taking the men by surprise as he disarmed them once more. Two of the men then tried grabbing him only to be flung away as if they themselves were the dolls. The remaining men looked at each other in fright before turning and running back to the van. One of the men got as far as opening the passenger side door and making a move to enter when it suddenly swung shut on his arm causing him to cry out in rage and pain as it severed his arm. Two more men rushed him but Mr. Schneider ducked down causing them to collide with each other before slumping in the sand. Now it was just him and Ridrik.

The restaurant owner edged along the van, hands grazing the surface behind him searching for the handle. His hand brushed against it but before he could so much as lift up on it the dummy was on him. Wooden fists pounded on him bringing him to his knees before dark spots began to cloud his vision.

Micky didn't know what to make of this new development as all the men were rendered unconscious. The pain in his shoulder was proving too much for his already battered body as he tried to stay awake, someone had to get help. Despite his efforts darkness came over him as he pitched forward in the sand where now lay prone next to his friends.


	6. John, Jerry, Joey, and Johnny

Dr. Karen Walker had just finished a double shift but despite how tired she was she had one last thing to do before she went home. The hospital was pretty quiet in these early hours, peaceful. That peace would end soon when the first wave came in, that wasn't for another hour though so for now she let the silence relax her. Heading to the elevator she pushed the button for the third floor and waited.

"Hey Karry. Heading home?"

Karen turned and saw Edmond Myers walking towards her. He was an orderly but was also putting himself through med school. He was a good kid, hard worker and never had a mean thing to say about anyone. "Yeah, just have to make a quick stop."

"Oh yeah, I heard about them, they getting any better?" Eddie knew she visited them a lot, it seemed like the whole hospital was talking about them. The only thing he really knew though is that they were around his own age.

"About the same. Joey's been improving a little though, heard a rummer he might be getting out of ICU soon."

"Well that's something at least, maybe he'll wake up." Eddie was always the optometrist.

"Be kind of nice to learn their real names at least, maybe contact someone, let them know where they are. I mean, somebody's gotta be missing them right?"

"You'd think, but wasn't there an ad all over town about them, no one responded."

Karen nodded, the elevator dinged as the door slid open cutting the conversation short.

"Well, tell them I'm pulling for them." Eddie called as Karen stepped in, the door closing behind her.

When she got to the room she gave them Eddie's message but then just stood there looking down at the boys on the beds before her remembering almost a week ago when they'd been brought in.

 _"What do we have?" Dr. Karen Walker ran up to the EMT's as they started pouring in._

 _A few more doctors joined her splitting up among the growing sea of gurneys._

 _"Five unknown males, one possible child, coming in with five DOA's, multiple injuries. " One of them called out as the gurneys were rolled into the ER Trauma Ward._

 _"Got a cause?" Karen watched as three of the gurneys were whizzed passed her rushing towards the OR, one contained an older man in a business suit while the others held two younger men clad in pajamas. She shook her head at the bizarre combination before her attention snapped back to the task at hand._

 _"They were found on a beach, possible home invasion/abduction."_

 _Karen tracked the gurneys as they filed passed her for a few seconds before following one that had a young man in a bright orange pajamas._

They were now calling that one Jerry, having never found out who they were they'd had to assign them new names. His head was bandaged up, the swelling in his face had gone down some but the intracranial pressure was still a concern. If it went any higher they might have to resort to more drastic measures. His right hand was severely fractured and it had taken two surgeries to align all the bones. There were wires and screws holding them in place but even with intensive therapy he may never regain full use of it.

Then there was the tall wiry John, the knife that had been embedded in his chest had somehow missed both his heart and lungs, making him incredibly lucky. It had nicked one of the smaller vessels but the pressure of the blade had amazingly stemmed the bleeding just enough. There were signs that he had been moved around at some point and that had caused some internal bleeding but they had finally managed to find and stop them all after several hours of surgery.

Joey's gunshot wound though healing nicely had bled a great deal and his color had only recently gone back to normal. He'd had to have multiple transfusions to replace what he'd lost. The bullet had gone through his left shoulder, fracturing the joint. It was now in a cast that encased his whole shoulder, arm, and hand, even wrapping around his body to make sure the limb didn't move. They'd also found evidence of electrical torture, burns on his chest now covered in gauze. Muscle spasms and a small seizure had them wearily of peripheral neuropathy but it was too early to tell without more tests.

Last was Johnny, the child had been strangled, fibers found on his neck indicated a small rope had been used. A breathing tube supplied his oxygen allowing his throat to heal without putting strain on it. The boy hadn't been breathing when he was found and it was unknown how long he'd gone without oxygen, leaving him open to possible brain damage. They wouldn't know for sure until he woke up though, right now their main concern was controlling his seizures. His left forearm was in a cast as was his right ankle.

All four boys were in comas, either medical or due to their injuries.

"Checking in?" Dr. Julian Blake asked as he entered the room. Karen often came by to check on the 'Doe Brothers', as they had been dubbed, ever since they'd left the trauma/recovery room.

"Yeah. Hey I heard they're being split up." Karen watched as he started scanning Joey's chart.

"Uh-huh." Julian replied checking on his patient's status. "Joey here's on the mend, gotta free up the bed for someone else.

"Are you officially taking over their case?" Julian was an excellent doctor, Karen knew the boys would be good in his hands.

"While they're here yeah. Denise Mercer's taking over Joey's, and eventually all of them when they get out of here." The ICU Doctor said as he flipped the page.

Karen nodded, she didn't know Dr. Mercer personally but she had a good reputation and she was glad the boys were going to be so well taken care of.

"You shouldn't get so invested, the other three are still touch and go." Julian said putting down the chart.

"I have hope." Something about these lost boys pulled at her making her want to help them but until one of them woke up there was little she could do.

"Well they can certainly use it." Julian said as he lead the way out of the room.

 _"Open your eyes."_

Micky was surprised to find he was finally able to, he felt like he'd been asleep for a long time but he was still exhausted. Sitting up, he gave a start when instead of a sandy beach he found himself back in the pad. _Had they brought them back here?_ He didn't see how, the last he'd seen Ridrik and his men had pretty much been taken out. So who had brought the-

 _"Micky."_

There was that voice again, he looked around trying to find the source but came up empty, it sounded familiar somehow. What he did find however was his friends laying next to him, quickly he reached out giving each of them a small shake.

They woke just as slowly as he had, sitting up and looking at each other bewilderment. That's when Micky noticed all their injuries were gone. Mike no longer had a knife sticking out of his chest, Davy's neck was smooth and free of any marks, Peter's hair wasn't matted against his face and his hand look perfectly normal. As for him, his shoulder though a little sore, was feeling a lot better and he couldn't find anything when he checked. The others eyes widened as they too realized this, checking for themselves to conform.

"Wha- How?" Mike didn't understand, he'd been strapped to the chair, which now appeared to be back at it's usual spot. Peter had been unconscious and Micky and Davy hadn't been much better.

Before any of them could answer the voice came again. _"Calm down Michael."_

For a second Mike thought Peter had spoken but it wasn't his voice and the other boy looked as confused as him.

"Wh-"

A figure began to appear in front of them, it was hard to make out who it was until it slowly become clearer. There, standing on his own and now looking very human, was Mr. Schneider.

"It was real!" Micky wasn't sure if he could handle it if his stress induced delusion wasn't really a delusion. Images of the doll attacking the men flooded his mind as he stared at him in disbelief.

"Yes, it was real." Mr. Schneider told him speaking softly to try and ease his tension.

"Wait, what? What's going on, what was real? How did yo-"

"Hush now David, you're stressing yourself and you need to heal, you all do."

"But we're fine. See?" Peter held up his right hand, wiggling his fingers as he waved it back and forth.

"You're find here, in this state, but your bodies are still badly injured."

"Our bodies? But how-" Mike looked down at himself, confused.

"You're each in a coma in the hospital right now. This is a kind of holding place, neither in that world or the next. It's how I was able to come to you now."

"Why did you and how did you come alive before? What happened to Ridrik?" Micky wanted some answers especially now that he knew he hadn't imagined it.

"The men that hurt you are all dead, they won't bother you again."

"You killed them?" Peter wasn't sure if he was comfortable with that. A life was a life, even a corrupt one.

"They hurt you. They were going to kill you."

"That doesn't mean you had to-"

"It's already done." Mr. Schneider said, it was pointless to argue the morality of it now.

"How are you even alive?" That was what Davy wanted to know, it disturbed him greatly that the former doll was capable of such an act but as he'd said, it'd already been done so they might as well move on.

"I'm not. I died many, many years ago."

Mike opened his mouth to ask how that was possible but Mr. Schneider held up his hand, cutting him off.

"How about you boys just let me explain, then ask your questions." Mr. Schneider said before continuing. "I made dolls for a living. I sold them all over the world, made plenty of money too but never had anyone to share it with. I'm not really sure myself but somehow when I died I ended up in this doll. It was one I'd made of me for a project years before, it never took off but I kept the doll. My estate was sold off as I had no heirs or any other relatives. Years were spent in various attics until finally, I came to that yarn sale you boys found me in. At first I longed for the silence of the attics. You were all so loud, always getting into trouble, it was maddening. But then something changed, you boys grew on me, showed me something I never knew I was missing. In life I only had dolls, but in death you boys showed me what it would be like to have sons."

Peter bit his lip, he was still upset that those men had been killed and didn't know what to make of this new information.

Seeing this Mr. Schneider walked over to him, kneeling down beside the boy as he sat on the floor with the others, still where they had woken up. "Peter, please understand, it wasn't that I wanted to kill those men. You were all near death, there wouldn't have been time to simply subdue them enough for it to be safe to leave you. And I had to leave to get help, or you wouldn't have made it to the hospital in time."

"But couldn't you hav-"

"There wasn't time!" Mr. Schneider urged. "I'd already wasted too much by not acting sooner."

"Why didn't you?" Mike asked suddenly accusatory. He hadn't thought of that before but if he'd been able to come to life why had he waited so long? "Why didn't you help us sooner?"

"I wanted to Michael, believe me I wanted to. But there are certain rules I have to follow."

"Rules?" Davy didn't know that ghosts had rules.

"Yes, rules. You see, when I came to care for you something else happened as well, I became a sort of guardian, a protector. With it came some pretty niffy powers that I've used to help you many times."

"You mean, all those times things just appeared, things that we really need or wanted. That was you!?" Micky couldn't believe it, he'd known there had to be some kind of bizarre explanation, but he never would have guessed this.

"It was me, but this time I crossed a line. The biggest rule is that I may never show myself to you, never let you suspect anything."

"What does that mean for you now?" Mike felt guilty, that sounded like it might be a big deal.

"Since I broke the rules I'm no longer a guardian. I just came to say goodbye."

"Oh." Peter didn't think that was very fair, all he'd done was help them.

"You can't stay?" The shock of him being alive had worn off by now and Davy suddenly found himself concerned for the once doll.

"No, after this I'll crease to exist." Mr. Schneider said sadly.  
"You're going to be killed!?" Peter didn't want to think about anyone else dying, there had already been too much death. "For helping us?"

"No, for killing those men. If I hadn't done that I would've probably just moved on to the next world." Mr. Schneider admitted. "I don't mind though, not if the alternative was your deaths. I'd do it again if I had too.

"But that means you gave your life for us!" That was too big a sacrifice for anyone to make, let alone someone they truly cared for.

"I'm already dead Micky, my 'life' doesn't mean as much as yours. You boys should have your whole lives ahead of you. You just have to get better first."

"Will we get better?" Mike looked at his bandmates, Mr. Schneider might have been their protector but that didn't change his role as leader, it was his job to make sure the others were okay. "Didn't you say we were in comas and that this is a place between life and death."

"I did. I don't know any more then you do what will happened to you. All you can do is hold on and fight to get back to the material world. But I wouldn't worry, I know you can do it, you have more strength then you know. I just wish I could stick around to help you."

"Isn't there anyway you could stay?" Micky asked, he didn't want him to go.

"I'm afraid not, in fact it's time for me to go now. I'll miss you boys, more then I ever thought possible, be good and look out for one another, always stick together. Because together, nothing can stop you, nothing can ever hold you back from the things you really want. Just believe in yourselves, and each other." Mr. Schneider turned prepared to leave.

"Wait!" Peter tugged on his arm turning him back around before enveloping the surprised man in a hug. The others quickly joined him, creating a large group hug as they held each other, tears falling from all their eyes.

"Can't you at least stay just a little longer, do you really have to leave right now?" Mike looked up at the now taller man. He'd grown up without a father, the others had lost their parents or run away at young ages and never really had one either. He knew it was tearing them up just as it was him at finally getting one only for him to be taken away.

"I wish I could, more then you'll ever know." Mr. Schneider looked back at Mike. "Or maybe you do. It's gonna be up to you Michael to take care of them."

Mike nodded as he looked at the others. He already did that but he had a feeling it was going to be a little harder without their silent protector. He could try his best but it wouldn't be the same, not even close.

"I have to go now. I love you boys, you've been the best thing that ever happened to me." Mr. Schneider said before he slowly began to fade away, disappearing as quickly as he'd appeared.

They sat there feeling empty air between them where their 'father' had just been. Inching forward they closed the gap as they held one another, trying to offer each other comfort for their loss as they silently cried.


	7. Complications

[AN: Okay first off sorry for such a long wait. I have some vision problems and my eyes sometimes get 'fuzzy' for about a week or so. Plus I've been trying to move for a while and it's finally happening House is in boxes right now so I haven't had too much time to write but it should pick back up soon. So this past month or so has been a little hectic, thanks for being patient and I hope you like the new chapter.]

"Out of the way! Get out of the way!"

"This is a hospital not a playground."

Eddie came to a halt as a menacing figure now stood in the path of the wheelchair he was pushing. "Hi Abigail, just giving Suzy here a little ride."

"It was fun!" The ten year old said a rare smile coming to her face.

"Well, just keep it away from the main hall, don't need a head om inside, we got enough coming in." With that she turned and stormed away.

Eddie smiled, Abigail Shade was the toughest nurse in the whole hospital but you put a child in front of her and she melted quicker then a snowman in July.

"Ready for another go?"

"You bet!"

He took off racing again as he passed many startled doctors and nurses until they got to her room. "Okay, ride's over but I'll see you tomorrow same time same place."

"Same therapy." Suzy mumbled.

"Only for a few more weeks, you're doing really good you know." Eddie wished she would cheer up but the only things that seemed to do the trick were the races and her-

"Suzy!"7

"Hey Jaky. Her face lit up upon seeing the six year old sitting in one of the two beds in the room. "How's the hunny baby bear?"

"Sticky and sweet." Jake laughed, he loved his sister's greeting. After the accident when she'd been unconscious he hadn't heard it for a really long time.

"Well I can see that you are in very capable hands. Look after her Jacob." Eddie told the little boy after he'd helped his sister into bed.

"Always Edmond, always."

Eddie left the room then, he was always amazed at how mature the boy was. He looked after his sister with the care of an adult and made sure the doctors explained everything in ways they could understand. The month before she'd woken had had a big impact on him, he'd seemed to get better after that but like his sister almost never smiled except when in each others presence. He didn't blame them though, after losing their parents in the same accident that had landed them here, they were all each other had.

"Hey Eddie, you busy?"

"No. What's up?" He turned seeing Winifred Foster heading towards him, better known as Winnie to her friends.

"Got a new transfer for 348."

"Oh he is not gonna be happy."

"Well it's the only one available so he's gonna have to deal, besides this new one's still in a coma, even he can't complain about that.

"I'm sure he'll find something. You know yesterday he told me he found a strain of my hair in his water."

"You do have a lot of hair..." Winnie trialed off, it was possible.

"It was a sealed bottle of water!"

Winnie chuckled. "Come on, Dr. Blake wants him brought up right away, there was another pile up and they need the space."

They hurried down to the ICU stopping when they got to a familiar room.

"Hey, it's the Doe Brothers." Eddie looked at the three boys laying in the beds, the fourth he'd heard had already gotten his own room a few days ago.

"Yeah, I guess Johnny's throat is healing and he hasn't had a seizure for a while now."

"How are the other two doing?"

Winnie snuck a peek at their charts. "Well Jerry's swelling is finally going down, Blake said he shouldn't need a craniopathy. John was suppose to get out of here yesterday but he got an infection so they wanna keep him a little longer, make sure there's no complications."

Eddie nodded, they were doing better but still had a long way to go. Another nurse came in to help them, unhooking the boy and setting things on the bed.

Grabbing one end of Johnny's bed Winnie pushed it towards the door where Eddie took the other end. The new nurse following along side as she pumped air into his lungs with a BVM once she'd taken away the ventilator. Eddie glanced down at the boy as they wheeled him through the halls; they still didn't know how old he was but they were guessing mid to late teens. Before long they had reached 348, Eddie let out a sigh, the current occupant wasn't the easiest to deal with.

"Got a new buddy for you." Winnie called as she opened the door and they went in.

"I don't want one, too much talking." Wesley sneered not bothering to look over.

"Well you shouldn't have a problem with that." Eddie started helping set everything up, hooking Johnny to the various machines near the bed.

The fifteen year old looked over at that seeing the other boy for the first time. "Oh. Well... Good."

"That's a little callous don't you think?" Winnie couldn't understand how someone so young could be so jaded about everything.

Wesley turned back around avoiding their eyes, not looking back up until they left. Curiosity got the better of him as he eased himself off his bed and made his way over to his new roommate.

A breathing tube obscured much of his face, fading bruises and slight swelling added to it but he could still tell he was about his own age, though smaller. A sliver of guilt from his comment made him look away. He hadn't really meant what he said about the boy's condition, he just didn't want to share his room. They kept trying to put other kids with him but none of them ever worked out. He didn't like other kids, didn't really like anyone, he just wanted to be left alone. A roommate meant visiting family and he couldn't stand seeing those other kids with their families.

He'd been here a little over a month and couldn't wait to leave, not that he had anything to go back to. As a foster kid he didn't have any family, didn't have any visitors, it was hard to see the others so happy. After the fight that put him here his last family had dropped him, making him a ward of the state again. That was the eighth one he'd had and now that he was older he probably wouldn't get another one. That meant group homes and group homes weren't usually very good, he'd already been to a couple, he knew.

Looking at the boy's chart Wesley was surprised to read the name Johnny Doe. _Huh._ He'd heard a few rumors floating around, they say he was brought in with a few others, no one was sure exactly what happened to them though and no one had come to claim them. Maybe they didn't have families either? A split second of hope that the boy was in the same boat as him had him hanging his head in shame, guilt washing over him as he slowly made his way back to his own bed. He even disappointed himself, he wouldn't wish that on his worse enemy.

 _"Mike, Peter, Davy." Micky looked around him but all he could see was fog, everything was dark and gray and it stretched on as far as he could see._

 _This place was empty like he was nowhere, it scared him, he didn't want to be here and he wanted his friends. Running had gotten him nowhere, things were the same all around, just this endless fog. He'd been here a while now, he didn't know how long, it was impossible to tell. A sharp pain exploded in his shoulder. Yeah that had been happening lately, his head was also hurting, as was the rest of his body. All the pain that had been suppressed while in the dream pad had slowly been coming back only a few hours, he was guessing, after he'd gotten here. He wasn't sure what was happening or why he'd been separated from his friends but he was afraid of what it meant. What if he'd died, what if this was hell, it certainly wasn't paradise. A weird sensation came over him and he braced himself for the pain, it'd happened a couple of times now, each one leaving him breathless and weak. In a way it brought him hope, if he was still getting worse then maybe he wasn't dead, yet._

"He's seizing again!" Dr. Mercer dug into a drawer as nurses held onto the boy who was thrashing on the bed. She filled the syringe she'd grabbed and plunged it into his arm, watching as he finally settled down.

"That's the third one." Winnie didn't understand, she' been sure the boys were getting better but Joey seemed to have taken a turn for the worse. His shoulder had gotten infected and nothing they did was stopping it. His vitals had been dropping steadily for almost a week and the development of seizures had everyone worried.

 _Micky lay back, it was over. Taking deep breathes he tried concentrating on only the rise and fall of his chest, trying to channel his mind away from the pain, it didn't work. Unable to sleep and unable to stand it any longer he slipped back into darkness, a darkness that engulfed him completely, shutting him off from everything._

"If he doesn't improve soon I think we might have to consider putting him back into ICU." Dr. Mercer started cleaning up, straightening and throwing things away.

"Johnny hasn't been doing to good either since he got out the other day, his seizures have started up again too." Winnie knew as their doctor she already knew all that but she felt it was worth pointing out, Dr. Mercer apparently didn't agree.

"So?" She looked up from the chart she was reading, casting the young nurse a questioning stare.

"So maybe there's something to it. The others are still improving, slightly." Winnie looked away, hearing it out loud made her realize how ridiculous it sounded.

"It's a hospital, some improve, some don't, no matter how hard we try." Dr. Mercer could tell the young woman was getting attached and she didn't want it to effect her work.

"Yeah but what if..." She trailed off, that was too weird even for her and she didn't want to risk losing her job by being declared insane. She had almost said, what if they had to be together, that if they were apart they somehow couldn't heal? It was stupid and she didn't know where the thought had come from but it kept nagging at her and wouldn't let up.

"What if what?" Dr Mercer raised an eyebrow, Foster could sometimes be a strange one but she had a good head on her shoulders.

"Nothing, I think I'm just tired, about to end a triple shift."

"That would do it." It wasn't unusual for them to get a few odd thoughts now and then, especially after several hours of not sleeping. "Well I'm going to go grab a bite in the cafe it you want to join me."

"No thanks, I think I'm just gonna head home. I haven't seen my couch for a while, or my bed."

"Okay. I'll see you later then." Dr Mercer waved as she started down the hall towards the cafeteria.

A few days later Winnie found herself eating lunch with two of her work friends, Dr. Karry Walker and Eddie Myers. They'd been talking about ghosts, Eddie thought his new apartment might be haunted and that had led to a conversation about life and death and what lay beyond. It'd gotten her thinking about people that were trapped between the two. Where would they go? Some people say that when they died they saw a bright light that they felt they should move towards, that welcomed them. She couldn't help thinking about four certain boys, they were all still in comas. As that was the closest state she could think of to death without actually being dead she couldn't help but wonder what it must be like. What would they feel? What would they see? Or would it just be like sleeping? But with or without dreams? What if there was more then one in a coma, would they, if they had a strong enough bond, be together? If so, what would happen if they suddenly found themselves apart?

"Hey, you awake over there?" Eddie joked.

"Huh. Oh yeah, I was just thinking."

"About what, you had a look." Karry had been friends with Winnie ever since the younger woman had started working here and knew when something was bothering her.

"Nothing." Winnie went back to her lunch trying to ignore that feeling that just wouldn't go away.

It'd only gotten stronger after Joey, who had continued to get worse had had to be put back in with the others in ICU. He was improving now, which was good, but it had everyone shaking their heads. There was really no reason he should have had trouble in the first place and there was none for his recovery either, they hadn't done anything different. But that wasn't what was bothering her, Johnny was still separated from the others and his health had taken a drastic turn. Unfortunately due to overcrowding they couldn't put him with his friends and Dr. Mercer felt he should be fine to stay in 348, should being the keyword but he wasn't. He was having at least three to four seizures everyday and he seemed to have picked up a virus causing a fever so high they'd put him in an ice bath yesterday.

"Okay, if you're sure." Karry didn't want to pry and knew her friend would tell her if she really wanted to.

"It's just that..." Winnie didn't know how to began, it was just such an insane idea.

"Just tell us. Whatever it is we promise not to laugh, too much." Eddie assured her.

"Well have you guys ever had a feeling that sounds insane but feels right, even if you can't explain why?"

Karry and Eddie shared a look, Karry looked back to Winnie. "Can't say I have..."

Winnie could see what her colleges were thinking but she pushed forward. "It's those brothers, there's something about them, a feeling I get. I think somehow they-"

"Need to be together." Eddie finished for her, he'd been having the same feeling, he was just too scared to say them out loud.

"Yeah. You too?"

Eddie nodded, both now looking at Karry who shock her head.

"Sorry,I haven't been getting any 'feelings'. Maybe you guys are just getting a little too attached, I was for awhile but I got busy and it went away. It's boring here sometimes, I get it, and it's easy to come up with things to shake things up. I just think you might be trying to find something that isn't there to try and combat that boredom."

They really should have known that's what her reaction would be, as a psychology student Karry loved to canalize people and always tried to find the logical answer to things. Normally Winnie would listen to the older woman's advice but the feelings were so strong she didn't even consider it. This time it was her and Eddie that shared a look of doubt.

"I don't know but if we're right that means that Joey only got better because he was put back with the others and the other two are even improving a little faster. I know they're in comas but sometimes coma patients can hear and understand a little of what's going on. What if they know they're separated and it's stressing them out and that's why they get worse when they're apart?"

"I suppose that that wouldn't be out of the realm of possibilities." Karry conceded slowly, _she had heard of a few stories like that._ It was certainly better then just 'a feeling', this was something she could wrap her head around, could find a cause and effect.

"So it doesn't sound crazy?"

"Not completely but you'd have a hard time convincing Mercer."

"Mercer would never buy that." If it wasn't Mercer's idea she didn't like it and she was even more cynical Karry.

"Code Blue, room 348." Mercer rushed by their table then as the announcement came.

"Well she might not have a choice." Winnie shot out of her seat following her out the door


End file.
